(Newser)
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The UN's former Mideast envoy condemns US policy toward Israel in a secret report that rips America for having "pummeled the UN into submission," rendering it powerless as a negotiator on Mideast matters. The report, leaked to the Guardian, also labels the boycott of the Palestinian government a mistake, and blasts Israel as "rejectionist."

The report, which comes as Gaza appears to be descending into civil war, is particularly critical of the international boycott, saying the UN is "imposing sanctions on a freely elected government " that's exacting "devastating consequences." At the same time, the report says, Palestinians' efforts at ending violence against Israel are "reprehensible at worst."